Think for a moment about the following films: Silence of the Lambs, Natural Born Killers, Zodiac, and Monster. What do they have in common? They all are about serial or mass murders, and they all made millions at the box office. Undoubtedly, films about serial and mass murderers sell, as do books and television dramas about them. As a result, serial and mass murders have become a permanent fixture in popular culture. How do you suppose this impacts the proliferation of serial and mass murderers? Are school shootings such as the Columbine massacre and the Virginia Tech killings the result of students searching for fame and popularity? Do serial murderers also kill for attention? After the serial killer Leslie Allen Williams was apprehended, he "took requests" for media interviews.
Could these serial and mass murders have been prevented had popular culture not, as some would argue, glorified serial and mass murderers? These questions are heavily debated, but there are no definitive answers. The only thing that is certain is that serial and mass murderers continue to attract media and public attention. At the same time, law enforcement, criminologists, and psychologists will continue to improve the accuracy of profiling, largely through technological advancements, to prevent serial and mass murders and more quickly apprehend serial and mass murderers. This week, you reflect on your thoughts about the influence of popular culture on the proliferation of serial and mass murderers. You also consider how technological advancements will impact the future of profiling.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Analyze the influence of popular culture on the proliferation of serial and mass murderers
Analyze the impact of technology on the future of profiling practices
Identify and apply current issues and future trends related to profiling serial and mass murderers
Popular Culture
American popular culture is obsessed with violent crime. Movies such as Monster, The Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Summer of Sam feature serial and mass murderers who frequently are glorified and depicted as heroes. In addition, many websites have been created as shrines to serial and mass murderers such as Charles Manson and Ted Bundy. Whether exposure to these types of violent films and websites impacts the prevalence of serial murderers has been a matter of debate. Some scholars argue that popular culture's fascination with violent crime has led to a violent epidemic in the United States. Other scholars argue there is no association between the two. What is not debatable, however, is the United States’ obsession with serial and mass murderers, an obsession that moves far beyond just watching movies.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review the book excerpt, "America's Fascination with Multiple Homicide." Focus on the discussion of serial and mass murderers in popular culture. Also, reflect on how popular culture impacts incidents of serial and mass murders.
Review the article "Perceptions of the Media in a Community Exposed to Serial Murder." Focus on how the public is influenced by the media's coverage of serial murderers and how this media influence could lead to more serial murderers.
Review the article: "'Asian [sic] Really Don't Do This': On-Scene Offense Characteristics of Asian American School Shooters" retrieved from the Walden Library. Consider how the mass murderer thought he would be depicted in the media. Additionally, reflect on whether a media blackout on serial and mass murderers would reduce these types of crimes.
Consider whether popular culture influences the proliferation of serial and mass murderers in the United States.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post your thoughts on whether popular culture influences the proliferation of serial and mass murderers. Justify your response with academic resources.
Sample Solution